Balaam’s Third Oracle

24 Now Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, so he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens but set his face toward the wilderness.^{(A) 2} Balaam looked up and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. Then the spirit of God came upon him,^{(B) 3} and he uttered his oracle, saying,

¹⁰ Then Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. Balak said to Balaam, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but instead you have blessed them these three times. ¹¹ Now be off with you! Go home! I said, ‘I will reward you richly,’ but the Lord has denied you any reward.”^{(I) 12} And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not speak to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying, ¹³ ‘If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own will; what the Lord says, that is what I will say’?^{(J) 14} So now, I am going to my people; let me advise you what this people will do to your people in days to come.”^(K)

Balaam’s Fourth Oracle

¹⁵ So he uttered his oracle, saying,

²⁰ Then he looked on Amalek and uttered his oracle, saying,

²¹ Then he looked on the Kenite and uttered his oracle, saying,

²³ Again he uttered his oracle, saying,

²⁵ Then Balaam got up and went back to his place, and Balak also went his way.^(Q)

¹² So then, brothers and sisters, we are obligated, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— ¹³ for if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.^{(A) 14} For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.^{(B) 15} For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba!^[a] Father!”^{(C) 16} it is that very Spirit bearing witness^[b] with our spirit that we are children of God,^{(D) 17} and if children, then heirs: heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if we in fact suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.^(E)

Future Glory

¹⁸ I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God, ²⁰ for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from its enslavement to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² We know that the whole creation has been groaning together as it suffers together the pains of labor, ²³ and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.^{(F) 24} For in^[c] hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what one already sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

The Question about Paying Taxes

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. ¹⁶ So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one, for you do not regard people with partiality.^{(A) 17} Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”^{(B) 18} But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? ¹⁹ Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. ²⁰ Then he said to them, “Whose head is this and whose title?” ²¹ They answered, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”^{(C) 22} When they heard this, they were amazed, and they left him and went away.